Pipe-supporting means



Apr. 3, 1923. 1,450,640

(3. E. NORMAN PIPE SUPPORTING MEANS Filed Dec 18, 1920 Patented Apr. 3, 1923.

UNITED STATES CHARLES ERWIII NORMAN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

PIPE-SUPPORTING MEANS.

Application filed December 18, 1920. Serial No. 481,790.

To all whom it ma concern:

Be it known t at I, CHARLES ERWIN NORMAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook,

State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipefiupporting Means, of which the following is a SPBClfication, reference being had to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to pipe supporting means and it has for its principal object the provision of a new and improved form and arrangement of parts by which a pipe may be, supported securely in position, which .may be produced, assembled, and applied with a minimum of labor, which ma be taken down and re-applied very readi y as often as may be required, and which shall have a neat appearance in use. Other chjects will appear hereinafter. The preferred means by which I have accomplished my object are illustrated in the drawings and are hereinafter specifically described. That which I believe to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is set forth in the claims.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of my improved pipe supporting means in position so for supporting a pipe;

Fig. 2 is a side view of the parts shown in Fig. 1, but with the supporting bar in changed position;

Fig. 3 is a face view of my improved device, the pipe being shown in cross section;

Fig. 4 is substantially a vertical cross section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary view showing a modified form of device, the supporting bar or late being shown in section.

eferring now to Figs. 1 to 4, inclusive, in which one form of my improved device is illustrated, 10 indicates a pipe underneath which there extends a metal band or 46 strap 11 by which the pipe is supported in position, in the construction shown this band being of sufficient stiffness normally to retain the looped form into which it is bent. As is shown in Fig. 1, each end of this U- shaped or looped strap 11 is perforated to receive one end of a hanger 12 also of metal. which in turn is supported by a perforated bar or plate 13 through any one of the several openings in which the hanger 12 extends, the hanger 12 being preferably pro duced b stamping complete from a sheet of meta As is best shown in Fig. 3, both end portions of the hanger 12 are turned upwardly so as to provide hooks 14 and 15, the intermediate portion of the hanger being in the form of a bail comprising two downwardly diverging arms. This hanger or bail engages the bar 13 at a point midway between the hooked ends.

As will be appreciated from an inspection of Fig. 3, the hook 14 at the right in that figure extends upwardly on the outer face of the end portion of the band 11 a greater distance than the distance to which the opening through the band extends below the lower face of the hook, with the result that the hook 14 cannot be withdrawn from the band by a straight pull on the hanger toward the left in that figure, it being necessary on the contrary to give the hanger a slight rotary movement in clockwise direction in said figure about the end of the band 11 for clearing the hanger from the band. As will be readily understood, in order to accomplish this result, the end of the hanger at the left in said figure must first be disenga ed from the hook 15 at that side.

F or effecting the desired latching engagement between the book 15 and the band, I have rcvided a spring tongue 16 which norma ly stands in contact with the lower face of the hook 15 when such hook is in supporting position. When it is desired to disconnect the hook 15 from the band, this can be effected by displacing the tongue 16 toward the left in Fig. 3, so as to permit the book 15 to be lowered siifliciently to clear the band by a movement toward the right. This displacement of the tongue 16 may be effected by the use of a blade inserted between the tongue and the body of the band adjacent thereto. For replacing the hook in operative engagement, the tongue can be displaced b direct pressure thereon through the me ium of the hook 15.

As my device is shown in the drawings, the tongue 16 is formed integrally with the band 11, being cut and bent into its bowed shape as shown by the same operation by which the band 11 is stamped and bent into form. I do not wish. however, to be restricted to this particular form of tongue, except as hereinafter specifically claimed, the important feature being that the tongue may have the required form and disposition for holding the hook against disengagement except as the tongue is displaced as above described.

In Fig. 5 I have shown a modified form of device particularly designed for use with large and heavy pipes. The form of structure there illustrated comprises a hanger formed of two parts ormembers 17 and 18 in lieu of the one-part hanger 12 heretofore described. In this construction, the hanger member '17 isjprovided with a lug 19 and the hanger member 18 with a lug20 at itsnpper end adapted to bear upon the face of the bar or plate 13 above the opening through which 'suchmembers extend, the hanger as a whole when assembled with the bar or plate 13 being adapted to operate in substantially the same manner as does the hanger 12. By this modified form of construction, moreover, the hanger is strengthened at its middle point.

By the use of my construction, I have provided astructure which may be produced very cheaply and rapidly almost entirely by machine Work, the device being capable of being applied for suspending a pipe with a minimum of time and effort. The device is neat andeifect'ive in operation, while at the same time it is capable of being easily and readily removed when for any reason it is desired to take the pipe down from its elevatedposition. By the provision of a plurality of openings through the bar or plate 13, a readjustment can readily be made of any one or more of the devices used in conne'ction with'a line of piping for releveling the pipe if such a step becomes necessary.

\Vhat I claim'as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is.-

1. In a device of the class described, the

combination of two downwardly-diverging. arms, means for supporting said arms. hooks on the lower ends of said arms respectively, apipe-supporting member in the form of a loop "the arms of which are provided with openings for receiving said hooks, and a spring/tongue carwied by opera nyof vsaid pipe supporting member-adapte *yieldingly to prevent disengagement of said arm from its hook. V a V 2. In a device of the class described, the combinationn'of two downwardly-diverging arms, means for supporting said arms, hooks on the"ldwer ends tifisaid arms respectively, a pipe-supportin member in the form of a loop the arms oi 'wliicli areprovided with openings forreceiving said hooks, o'neof said opningsbeihg of a size'to prevent dis-V engagement-o1 one "of: said hookslgtihereirom by a straight "lateral pull thereon, and a' spring tongue stamped from the metal'of the pipe-supporting member and forming the lower face of the other of said openings adapted yieldingl to prevent disengage mentof the other ook.

4. Ida device of the class described, the] combination of a bar having an opening therethrough, two arms eirtendin'ggthrough said opening and heldin' downwardly diverging position'on opposite faces of said bar by lugs on their upper ends in engagement with the bar above the opening, an'da pipe-supporting member in the formof a loop the ends of which have hooked engage ment with said arms respectively.

CHARLES ERVVTN NORMAN.

prevent disengagement of a size to prevent dis- 

